Halloween Pop Culture vs. Folk Culture

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Halloween is a holiday that most of Europe and North America celebrates to this day. It's original origins can be traced back to Roman times. Even though the etymology of the word, Halloween, is Christian, it is generally thought of to have pagan roots. Halloween is influenced heavily by the Celtic holiday Samhain, meaning “the end of summer”. In both Ireland and Scotland it was a belief that this physical world and the supernatural world were closest during this time, so magical things can happen. To ward off spirits the Gaels would light massive bonfires. In the Western Isles they would hold a festival of the fairies, souls of the dead flying through the air. Even with all the pagan roots Christianity still had a considerable impact on Halloween. This was the time of the year when Christians honored saints and prayed for the recently dead that were still traveling to heaven. The dead who were in purgatory were close enough to the physical world, so could get a last chance at vengeance. Christians would then dress up in masks and costumes to trick the dead. When Halloween became more pop-culture than folk-culture the traditions stopped having meanings. People to this day still dress up, but it's more just for the fun of it. People now use Halloween as an excuse to watch horror films, go to haunted houses, and scare others. This started up with horror literature, such as Frankenstein and Dracula. Also, with the classic horror films Frankenstein, and The Mummy. Candy apples are still associated with Halloween, but few people still serve them. This is because of the wide spread rumors of razor blades being stuck in them. One tradition that has lasted and still has some meaning is the Irish tradition of baking Barmbrack. It is a light fruitcake that a ring is baked into, and whoever gets the ring will meet their true love in the next

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